Just Take What You Need and Be On Your Way
by MeredithBrody
Summary: A one night stand leaves two members of the NOLA office thinking about where they are. (Prody)
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not really sure what inspired this, and I'm not sure if I'll ever continue it. I just had the urge to write some random angst, and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. Much thanks to pinkyb27983 and StephNCIS for their input into this story (mostly telling me to write it tbh). The title is from the Oasis song "Stop Crying Your Heart Out". Please, as always, enjoy then read and review.  
Shin xx**

* * *

Meredith Brody had done it again. She'd slept with someone she absolutely shouldn't have and left before he'd woken up. She hoped, somewhat, that he was too drunk to remember what they'd done, but she knew that wasn't likely. She just couldn't go through it again. Once upon a time this type of sex was exciting, it was fun. She'd loved the thrill of cumming over and over then leaving, never addressing it again. This time though, she wasn't sure that was all she wanted.

Dwayne Pride had been like the forbidden fruit, she had observed him from afar, never telling him about the ungodly crush she had on him. She hadn't wanted a taste, not really, because she knew it was wrong. He was her friend, her boss, newly divorced and very lonely. She didn't want to be the rebound.

Then she'd gotten drunk, and he'd gotten drunk, and a quick goodbye kiss as she was the last to stay after a party had lead to making out, then mutual groping, then they'd been naked first on the table, then again against his bedroom door, then finally on the bed. She was fulfilled, but embarrassed and a little ashamed.

So she silently gathered her clothes and slipped out of the room, dialling a cab as she pulled her skirt back on. She felt like she was back in college, slipping out of the frat house after an ill-advised party. She may have felt embarrassed then, but she'd never before felt ashamed of her drunken fumbles with bed partners.

Most of her life she hadn't been fussy, she kept her sexuality to herself, and the truth was that mostly it was whoever would give her the best release. She was and always had been open to people of any gender, and that had worked for her. So despite how often that lead to her sneaking out of somewhere after a night-time romp. She'd never before been ashamed.

Why this time, she wasn't sure. Maybe because he was her boss, someone she saw every day? That still wouldn't really explain it. She'd spent the night with people she'd seen every day, people she'd studied with or worked with before. Maybe it was because she cared about him deeply? That was new to her night-time escapades, normally they were throw away casual acquaintances. Pride wasn't.

Suddenly she wished she hadn't done it, wished she'd been strong enough to turn away from his kisses and leave like she should have done. She wished that she'd known then how she was going to feel when all was said and done. As she reached the door, knowing her cab would be just beyond it, she turned and looked back at his door, and for a moment she wished she could have stayed. But she couldn't.

Arriving home all she could really do was shower and hope that she could wash away her shame and regret. She then climbed into her bed, realising her thoughts were in another bed across time. The bed where she'd woken half an hour earlier. She'd be curled up in his arms, held tight and safe. She hadn't been held like that since James had left.

She eventually drifted into a fitful sleep, trying not to hate herself as she went. There was going to be another day, and eventually she would know whether or not her shame and embarrassment was worth it. Maybe she was nothing more than a release to him too. Eventually she would know, one way or another, and that would be an end to her wondering.

* * *

The bed was empty when Dwayne Pride awoke, and he was surprised by that, because it certainly hadn't been empty when he'd fallen asleep. She had been there, he was sure of that. Cuddled up in his arms as if she belonged there. Obviously she had decided that she didn't, but he hoped that, eventually, he'd be able to change her mind.

Her side was cold, but her smell lingered on the pillow and all around the room. He had no idea what perfume she wore, but he would always associate lilac and vanilla with her now. The two combined perfectly, and in his mind they would always be something he associated with Meredith Brody.

When she had arrived here he hadn't been certain about her. He hadn't known whether or not she would fit in to the team here. In fact, the opposite had happened. He and Christopher had adapted to fit her in. It had lead to the two of them developing a sibling-like bond, but he had never quite figured out what he was to Brody, or what she was to him.

Last night was going to be something he didn't know how to classify. He'd met Linda when he was 20, and since that moment he hadn't looked at anyone else. It had been more than 20 years, and other than his now-ex wife, Meredith Brody was the only person he had spent the night with. That was a place in his heart he was going to reserve especially for her. He didn't want that to be all they had. One night.

He hadn't been sure at the time why he'd kissed her, he'd been surprised when she'd kissed back. He'd pulled her into him, and one thing had lead to another. He hadn't had as much fun in years, and he'd certainly needed the release. The closeness of another human being had been something he'd been craving, and he hadn't even noticed until she'd been there with him.

Was that all he was to her? Was that all last night was. A drunken attempt at closeness. An illusion of companionship to combat the loneliness he knew she felt, all because he felt it too. Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised, because he knew she didn't date. Wilkins had been an exception, and that had ended almost the moment her ex had returned to her life. So he didn't know what to make of her.

All he knew, at this moment, was that he didn't want this to be the end, but that wasn't his place. She'd clearly taken what she'd wanted and gone on her merry way, not that it wasn't what he'd wanted. he just wanted so much more. He wasn't really the one-night-stand kind of man. He was more the kind who would sit with her all night, every night, and show her that he loved her. The problem with that was that he didn't know how to deal with this.

Did he talk to her? Or try calling her. There was no roadmap for him here, no signpost he could follow. He couldn't even ask anyone for their opinion, because that would tell them far more about who he had spent his night with than he wanted anyone to know. He would wait and see how she acted the next time they were together, and take his lead from her. If she wanted to talk, or if she was letting him in, then he'd jump. If not he would just file away every memory, and be glad she'd been there at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this was a oneshot. Then my bestie PinkAngel17 reminded me of a fic I've had in my plot bunny file for literally weeks that would fit with this storyline. As with the last chapter. Each section is exactly 600 words. I'm going to try and keep doing that throughout this fic. I haven't planned this out, so other than a vague idea I have no idea where this is going and it won't be updated anywhere _near_ as regularly as my other fics. Enjoy. Thanks, enjoy and as always, read and review!  
Shin xx **

* * *

After nearly three weeks she still hadn't said a word. They'd both fallen back into their normal routines. He hated that that was what had happened, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't going to pretend that he'd ever really thought he was more than stress relief for her. Of course he was. What else could he be.

He went into the office to see LaSalle and Brody teasing each other as usual. It just reminded him of the way he and Brody had been teasing each other at the party. Though with LaSalle it was more fraternal, as though they were sibling. With he and Brody it was pure tension. If he didn't ask what was going on LaSalle would figure out there was something going on, and Pride wasn't ready for that. "What's the teasing for?"

"Brody's got a date." He teased, and Pride tried to disguise the gut punch he experienced at those words. Of course she'd gotten a date. She was an attractive woman. There was no reason she shouldn't.

"It's not really a date." She protested, and Pride could tell from the way she did that that it was already for more serious than just drinks. How soon after their night together had she met this new guy, and would it matter if she'd even met him before. All that really mattered right now was that it wasn't him taking her out. "It's just drinks."

"I know you." LaSalle teased back, and Pride knew what he was getting at. They'd all seen the bed head after the night she'd spent with James. They both knew that depending on the person, Brody would take them to bed on the first date, and she'd tend to kick them out just as quickly.

"I hate you." She laughed at LaSalle, and Pride had to admit just that little bit of normalcy was what they should cling to right now. He was her boss, and that meant that no matter what, he was going to have to pretend nothing untoward had gone on between them.

"I hope you have a good time." He wished her sincerely. The date she was planning to go on tonight probably wouldn't last. That wasn't the nature of their careers, and that would mean that he still stood a chance. Yes it was a tiny one, and it might take time for them to adjust, but they could do it. Only if this date was the bust she thought it would be.

"Thanks King." She replied, and he caught the catch in her voice when he'd said that. She'd clearly had expected him to say something different. Had she expected him to just blab about how he had felt since their night together. There were some things he could, and should, keep private, and never tell anyone.

That was the most painful thing he'd ever had to do, but there was no way they were both still interested. Someone would have stepped up in all the time. He wished he could, but she'd left. They'd made love, more than once, and she'd walked out on him. She clearly didn't want him, and he wasn't going to push.

If she had a chance of happiness with this new guy, then he would wish her luck. God knew she deserved it. He wished that he was able to be the one making her happy, but clearly the universe didn't care for him that way. It never had. He hoped that eventually they would have their chance. But he wasn't going to hold onto all the hope.

z~z~z~z

Brody hadn't really been sure about this date, because it seemed so soon after whatever she and Pride had done. They hadn't addressed it for even a moment since the second they had seen each other the following morning. Brody had caught him staring at her a few times, and she couldn't entirely blame him, but it reminded her of what she'd done, and she she'd flash with embarrassment.

So she was sat in the bar waiting on the date she's been talking about on the internet for a week. Sure she didn't know for certain who he was, that was why they were meeting in a public place, not that Brody actually was afraid of anyone. She had be brought up to be tough. "Hey, I'm Shaun." he said the moment he arrived, dropping his jacket to the chair.

"Meredith. Merri." She introduced herself. Not sure why she'd said her full name. That was not what she'd expected, nor was it what she wanted. She preferred her shorter name, and she normally skipped her first name. Clearly whatever she was worrying about right now was not what you had wanted her too.

"What are you drinking?" He asked politely, and all of a sudden she wished one of her boys were. They would make so she wasn't having to sit and listen to the providence of why and how she had made a bad choice. Not to mention that they would be teasing her. She liked this Shaun... but he wasn't one of the team, and she had somehow been roped into it.

"Hurricane." She ordered, almost certain that the waitress had memorised her drinks order by the time Shaun had arrived. Merri had been sat here for some time. But after James she knew that there was absolutely no pattern for journalists. They worked when they had to, and sometimes that was in the middle of the night.

"Coming up." The waitress smiled, then too Shaun's order. Brody was glad to see they ordered something different. It meant there were plenty of things that they wouldn't be always getting assignments to arrest kids on big wheels. She knew that the press were itching for new gossip. So she was desperately hoping that wouldn't like the last time someone was looking for gossip. It had lead to one of the junior agents for a tester.

"So tell me about yourself?" He asked her eventually, and that meant that she was going to have to explain what worked and what didn't around the office. She hated that they needed to share, along with the more gruesome parts of her job. She was willing to happy with the fish. It's a little less likely to kill her. She was also less likely to choke on it.

"Well." She started with a smile. This wouldn't be hard. She just needed to get King out of the head for a while. If she did that she'd be ready to focus on something new. Three weeks told her he either didn't remember what they'd done, or wasn't interested in carrying the relationship on.

This had potential. She knew that. After the mess she made of Sam and James she was looking forward to just getting out there again. Would she have preferred to be there with Pride? Of course she would, but neither of them had made a move and that had told her all she needed to know. She couldn't wait around for something that might never happen. She needed to move on and try something new. It was all she could do.


	3. Chapter 3

**There is implied emotional abuse and manipulation in this chapter, and probably in the next couple. It will be fixed in the end, I promise that. I just need to cause some pain before we get there. As said last chapter, this won't be updated anywhere near as often as my other fics.  
Shin xx**

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It had been a long time since any relationship Brody had been part of had lasted this long. She and Sam hadn't really counted, and James had ended that. For some reason she was kind of wishing that James would come back and break this relationship up too. He was good at that. Everyone else she'd ever dated was far too honourable to even try it. Even though she was secretly wishing that, she was still laid here, beneath the guy she'd started seeing a few weeks earlier, wondering how it had gotten to this point. "It's been two months." He muttered, and she just nodded.

"I know. I can count." She tried to smile, to show him she was joking, but her previous thoughts hadn't quite left her. Once upon a time she never would have imagined herself with someone like this, but as she got older she was becoming more aware of the time that was passing without a meaningful relationship.

"Are you being sarcastic?" He snapped. She'd seen this sudden mood change more than once in the last two months, and it still made her jump. She forgot he could be this man when he was the other. She loved one, and hated the other.

"No. I just don't need to be reminded how long we've been going out." She tried to laugh and play it off again. She didn't want to start a fight. She didn't want to spend another night wondering if he was going to fly off the handle at her or if he was going to just leave and text her once an hour all night.

Apparently, that wasn't the answer he'd wanted, and he just looked more annoyed. "You're the one who said you weren't ready for a relationship. So I have to remind you." Apparently her decision to not want a relationship meant that she couldn't tell the basic passage of time anymore. He was clearly more annoyed than he let on as he moved away before coming getting right in her face again. "It's because of that guy isn't it. Your boss."

"I pulled away from him for you, isn't that enough?" She hated what she'd had to do for him, that she'd had to push away one of the best friends she'd ever had, one of the only people who'd given her a home. She'd done it because it had seemed like the only way, but now she regretted it.

"No. I want you to be mine, only mine." The order that implied wasn't subtle, and she wasn't sure what she could do for that. She wasn't the type who was easily submissive, but she didn't want to be alone again.

"I don't know if I can do that." She replied. She'd never been solely anyone's. Nobody had ever wanted to take away her stubbornness and independence. He hadn't liked those aspects of her personality from the very beginning, and she'd known she should walk away, but that tiny insecurity in the back of her mind had told her to stay, and now she wasn't entirely sure how to stop.

"You won't have a choice." He muttered, and there was just a hint of a threat in those words. She really wasn't sure who exactly the threat was aimed at, but she knew it was there. It wasn't the first time he'd covertly threatened her, but it had been the first time he'd made it sound like she wasn't the only one he was threatening. That scared her more than anything else. She'd need to find a way out.

z~z~z~z

Pride was not really sure what to think right now. She'd been so distant and angry the last few weeks. He didn't know how to talk to her about it either. He really wanted to know if she was OK, but whenever he tried to ask she walked away. Over the last few months things had changed. She never stayed for dinner anymore, and never hung out with the team after a case. It seemed like LaSalle was thinking exactly the same. "Do you have any idea what's going on with Brody?" He asked, looking at Pride, and Pride had to admit he didn't know. He just shrugged, and then frowned at her. "You two were always close?" Being close was something that had stopped weeks earlier. He missed the closeness they'd had.

"Not a clue, she's pulled away the last few weeks." He sounded sad, he knew that and that was the worst feeling in the world. Something that was happening to all of them, what happened to Brody affected all of them, and he knew that every single one of them were worrying about her, and just feeling concerned about her relationship with someone that all of them thought needed to back off a little. He wanted her happy, and he knew she wasn't.

"What do you think of this guy she's seeing?" LaSalle asked. That was when he realised that he'd never officially met the guy that Brody was seeing. They had been at the same place at the same time, on occasion, and they'd sometimes nodded at each other. But he'd never actually spoken to him. Stood there and said 'hey I'm her boss, and her friend'. He somehow felt like that was a huge oversight on his part.

"I never met him, have you?" He hoped that LaSalle had met him, actually had a sit down conversation with the guy One of the first things that had drawn Pride to hiring LaSalle was how good of a judge of character he was. He could tell if someone was lying to him, or trying to take him along for a ride. That was something they would need right now if they were going to know what Brody's guy was like.

"Yeah. He's a bit of a weird guy." For LaSalle to say that, given that they worked with Patton and Sebastian, he had to be weird. Somehow that didn't entirely surprise him though. He'd seen the pictures, and Brody never looked happy with him. She always looked withdrawn and tired. He knew her as a bright, cheerful and happy person, so the fact that she was this withdrawn made him worried. After a few seconds LaSalle continued speaking. "I don't like him. He was very possessive."

That wasn't the best, not for the Brody he knew, but there was nothing he could do. Anything that he said to her would come across as him being either a jilted ex, or a jealous convenience. He wasn't really sure what he'd been to her now, maybe he'd never been sure. He couldn't really imagine Brody standing for someone attempting to possess her for long. "Maybe she'll see he's wrong for her soon." He truly hoped that she would, it seemed like she was unhappy and uncomfortable about everything. Her friendships, her relationships. Everything about her life right now. He was worried about her, and he probably always would be. He couldn't push her though, he knew that, and she wouldn't react well to it if he tried. She was in charge, and they all had to accept that.


End file.
